6 Biggest Recruitment Marketing Blunders I Saw in 2016

As much as I hate a cliché, there’s no denying that everyone is inclined to reflect a bit on the year gone by. There are summaries a-plenty of the worldwide events of 2016, so skipping straight over that chat, let’s take a look at the biggest marketing blunders that have plagued the recruitment sector this year:

1. Job ads that describe the job rather than sell them…

Calling all recruiters – a job description is not a job ad! Going back to basics here, but just to clarify, a job description should describe a job…a job advert should sell it! Do you think as a marketer, if I just described any of my clients’ products/services they’d be happy? I can assure you; they would not. They’d be annoyed.

This is where you need to step in as the expert who translates your clients' dry job descriptions into adverts that get candidates excited. You do it on the phone all day long, so inject some of that excitement into your job adverts and sell, sell, sell!

2. Twitter feeds that are just ads

Another classic fail, your company Twitter is not your jobs page. Posting job ads to social is necessary, but not sufficient. In terms of a candidate looking for a recruitment agency they would like to work with – you’re giving them nothing.

Mix it up with industry news, office shenanigans and valuable content. Anything which gives your agency a bit of personality alongside clear direction and great opportunities is a winning combination!

3. Complicated application processes

Okay so not strictly marketing, but annoying nonetheless…A candidate sees your ad; they’re interested, and it’s looking good! They hit apply, complete the page, hit next and…oh! Half an hour later they are on page 3 with no indication of how far they’ve still got to go…forget it! Ain’t no-one got time for this! Make your application process simple and clear to avoid candidate fallout.

4. Crap websites

It’s a daft mistake, but a lot of recruiters seem to assume that because they know what type of roles they recruit for that everyone else does too. So before you tell your life story and talk about how different you are on your website homepage, tell people what you do! Are you a specialist recruiter? If so, what do you recruit for? Lack of clarity is the number one reason people will get frustrated with your site and bounce – so whatever you do, shout about it! Let candidates know if you can help rather than have them trawl through your jobs when they’re not relevant, and let clients know that you’re what they’re looking for!

5. Lack of basic SEO

No denying SEO is a multi-headed beast, but when it comes to the basics, anyone can lock them down. Make sure all your web pages have meta-titles and descriptions, update your site as often as possible with fresh content, and whatever you do, don’t nick anybody else’s content even if you really like it!

6. Killing off marketing after a slow month…

Let’s paint a picture…an agency owner is hearing all the chat about recruitment marketing and thinks (somewhat reluctantly) they’ll give it a go. In comes a marketer and for a few months all is well! More candidates, happier clients and all round busyness, hurrah! Then comes a stinker… a rubbish month where morale is low, and placements even more so…well recruiters want to make money, so it’s bye-bye marketing.

Disclaimer: This is a great way to make your agency disappear. Quiet/disappointing times are when you need marketing the most to give things a boost and spread your agency’s message far and wide.

What recruitment marketing mistakes have had you cringing in 2016? Let us know in the comments below…

As a marketing specialist and chief blogger at Firefish Software, writing is both my hobby and my job! Firefish is a recruitment software and engagement engine which transforms your agency’s website into a hiring hotspot and keeps your data crackling with activity. That aside, I’m passionate about creativity, philosophy, equality and the great outdoors

If you are working in the world of recruitment then you can no longer ignore social media. We now live in a candidate led world and therefore it is more important than ever to tap into those passive candidates. But, becoming confident in social media activity and language does not happen overnight. It takes time to build an audience before you can even think about conversions.

Green Umbrella Marketing have put together a daily task list for recruiters and recruitment business owners to help you source and nurture potential clients and passive candidates.